The Oakland Athletics aren't going to the playoffs, but they have proven over the last month that they can compete with teams bound for the postseason. The New York Mets, meanwhile, might be running out of time to prove they can be a playoff-caliber club. The A's will look to hand the stumbling Mets another series loss on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game interleague set in New York.
Right-hander Joey Estes (5-4, 4.70 ERA) is slated to start for the A's against left-hander David Peterson (6-1, 3.34).
Oakland remained hot Tuesday night, when Shea Langeliers posted his second straight four-hit game and finished with four RBIs in a 9-4 victory. The A's improved to 51-69 and exceeded their win total from last season, when their 112 losses were the most for the franchise since the Philadelphia Athletics went 36-117 in 1916. The A's have an American League-best 16-9 record since July 12, a span in which they've gone 7-5 against a quintet of contenders.
In addition to facing the Mets and San Francisco Giants, who are the fourth- and fifth-place teams in the race for the three National League wild-card spots, Oakland also has opposed a trio of division leaders: the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. "I think it just kind of proves what we're capable of -- the next step's just being consistent," Langeliers said. "We're kind of proving that over the last month since the All-Star break that we can do it.
We can play these playoff-contending teams a.